The Odisha government is gearing up to fight against the possible third wave predicted to hit the country in the months of September & October this year.
In a letter to all District Collectors of the state, Odisha Additional Chief Secretary (Health), Pradipta Mohapatra informed that the possible third wave may last for as long as 75 days in the state.
Mohapatra informed that during the possible third wave, the state may witness as many as 10,000 cases per day on average while at the peak, daily cases to go over 19,000.
Meanwhile, the Chief Secretary advised all District Collectors to remain prepared till March 2022 and arrange infrastructure as per the Emergency Covid Response Plan 2021-22. The letter also mentioned that Rs 139 Crore has been allocated to set up Covid Care Centres across 245 CHC and 551 PHCs.
A budget of Rs 124 Crore has been earmarked for setting up 740 ICU beds while Rs 176 crore has been allocated to set up 28 field hospitals. Meanwhile, there are plans to spend Rs 30 Crore for procuring medicines, while Rs 75 Crore has been set aside for establishment of Child Care Units.
Rs 94 Crore has been earmarked for enhancing RT-PCR and antigen testing in the state, the letter informed.